Oakland workers strike ahead of mayor’s speech

November 3, 2017

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Building inspectors, sewer workers, librarians and street cleaners were among some 2,000 city workers in Oakland who walked off their jobs in a one-day strike as part of an ongoing contract dispute.

The East Bay Times reports that several city offices in Oakland closed early to allow workers to march in protest, ahead of Mayor Libby Schaaf’s State of the City address Thursday evening.

Members of SEIU 1021, the union that represents city employees, marched to the Islamic Cultural Center of Northern California where Schaaf was scheduled to speak.

They held an event dubbed “Real State of Oakland” to discuss labor issues and the growing housing crisis in the area. The union has filed unfair labor practice charges against the city as contract negotiations have stalled, the report said.